Exercise devices, such as treadmills, have become very popular for use in improving health and fitness. Many such exercise devices are made for home use, thereby allowing users to exercise in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. In an effort to reduce the amount of space exercise devices occupy when not in use, many exercise devices are made to fold up. For instance, treadmills commonly have a treadbase that may be moved between an operating position in which a user may exercise thereon and a storage position in which the treadbase is folded or reoriented to reduce the footprint of the treadmill.
Many folding exercise devices also include a mechanism that holds the folding portion of the exercise device, such as a treadbase, in the storage position. For instance, some treadmills include a pin connected to an upright frame. When the treadbase is folded into the storage position, the pin may be positioned within an aperture formed in the treadbase to thereby hold the treadbase in the storage position. To move the treadbase from the storage position to the operating position, the pin may be withdrawn from the aperture. However, the gravitational pull on the treadbase often results in significant friction between the pin and a portion of the aperture, making it difficult to remove the pin from the aperture. To free the pin, users often push on the treadbase to counter the gravitational force and thereby reduce the friction between the pin and the aperture. Counterproductively, however, the users often push too hard on the treadbase, which results in significant friction being created between the pin and another portion of the aperture, again making it difficult to remove the pin from the aperture.
Examples of various folding exercise devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 931,394, U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,557, U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,140, U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,156, U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,453, U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,560, U.S. Pat. No. 6,974,404, U.S. Pat. No. 7,540,828, U.S. Pat. No. 7,736,279, U.S. Pat. No. 7,740,563, U.S. Pat. No. 7,766,797, U.S. Pat. No. 7,775,940, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,909,740.